1
as in to disband
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization
the band broke up when their arguments over money grew too stressful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to come to an end
the meeting broke up when all the business for the day had been completed
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3
as in to divide
to set or force apart
he broke up the rocks in the old stone wall with a crowbar, sending them tumbling to the ground
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4
as in to crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress
the sort of person who would be among the first to break up in a prisoner of war camp
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5
as in to cease
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
police arrived at the scene and immediately broke up the fracas
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6
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
break up the feta cheese and spread it over the salad
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7
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
if you break up during the skit, the audience will know that you're in on the joke
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as in split
the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces
the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism pretty much signaled the end of the Cold War
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break up
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation and asked the court to break up what was described as a monopoly.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025
Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Become despondent over a breakup with her boyfrend?
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Verb
Iron Maiden helped shape the sound of heavy metal decades ago, and while many of its peers from that era have long since broken up or stopped making music, the British rock band is far from done.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department sued Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation and asked the court to break up what was described as a monopoly.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
As the cycle proceeds toward the inevitable breakup—triggered, perhaps, by Lesbia’s dalliances during the year that Catullus was away working for Memmius—the poems of recrimination and spite, often eye-poppingly obscene, predominate.
—Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Become despondent over a breakup with her boyfrend?
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for break up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break up
Verb
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Meanwhile, at the Department of Agriculture, officials disbanded an advisory committee that had been studying the threat of Cronobacter contamination in powdered formula.—
Heather Vogell,
ProPublica,
4 Apr. 2025
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That’s no small shift for a rock act that officially disbanded years ago and hasn’t released brand new material in a long time.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Has Bacteria-Fighting Properties A study found that ACV helped stop the growth of two harmful bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli).—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
7 Apr. 2025
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Hansi Flick will surely remember the outstanding save from former Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian to stop Jules Kounde in the second half, as well as the last-minute cross from Raphinha that Robert Lewandowski or Fermin Lopez failed to tap in.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The appeals court divided 2-1 in turning down the government's request to halt Boasberg's directive.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2025
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The Trump administration reportedly calculated the tariff by dividing the trade deficit ($7.4 billion) by the value of imports to America ($22.2 billion) and then essentially halving the figure to reach 17%.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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More on the Trump administration A united conservative front on Trump’s immigration purge is beginning to crack over the administration’s aggressive, sometimes slapdash tactics.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025
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House sparrows prefer to be near humans, so place a birdhouse away from the house and avoid feeding smaller seeds like millet, cracked corn, and milo, which sparrows love.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Yellow’s bankruptcy journey has lasted roughly 20 months, with the century-old less-than-truckload (LTL) company ceasing operations July 30, 2023.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Apr. 2025
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If Jun-no can’t turn things around quickly the company may cease to exist.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Shearing emphasized that there are no true winners in a tariff war, as higher prices harm consumers and disrupt global supply chains.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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Behind the scenes there was no doubt other dreams were dashed and processes disrupted.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The audience at the New York college laughed at the remark, which was said in the context of Obama writing his second presidential memoir.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Apr. 2025
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Of course, this would mean that no white person uses the N word, tells or laughs at racist jokes, holds negative stereotypes of Blacks or discriminates against them.—
James Unnever and Wayne Genthner,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Trump last year won Sauk — split between Democratic-leaning areas closer to Madison and a more conservative rural northwest — by 626 votes after Democrat Joe Biden won the county by 615 votes in 2020.—
Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2025
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That split has hit many communities in the country as the brick-and-mortar retail industry suffers while housing shortages worsen.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Break up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20up. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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